


You

by lovefaun



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, More characters to be added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27322723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovefaun/pseuds/lovefaun
Summary: Several moons after Honeyfern’s death, Berrynose seemed to be coping fine enough, though he hadn’t taken on another mate or even been looking. At least, not that Jayfeather could see. It wasn’t until much later that he realized the one Berrynose only had eyes for was the medicine cat himself, but Jayfeather is conflicted for a multitude of reasons.
Relationships: Berrynose/Jayfeather (Warriors)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37





	You

The sound of paws shuffling around outside the entrance of the medicine den had begun to irritate Jayfeather. It was like some cat was constantly hesitating on whether to go in or not. Was it that hard to just walk in?

“Are you going to come in or what?” Jayfeather growled, his voice bouncing off the walls of the otherwise quiet den. The shuffling sound quieted for a moment before heavy pawsteps came forward, stopping barely past the mouth of the den. The tom could feel a slight tenseness in the air, coming from the guest. Jayfeather wrinkled his nose.

“Hi,” the guest meowed, its voice full of the friendliness of a greeting, albeit uncertain. “I just-“

“What do you want, Berrynose?” Jayfeather narrowed his blind eyes, lifting his sightless gaze. He had been sorting herbs before the other tom had interrupted. He got up to his paws, taking a few steps towards Berrynose and circling him, sniffing along his pelt. “No wounds, no scratches, and no sickness. Go away.” With a _hmph_ , Jayfeather snorted and walked back to what he was doing.

“Wait! I didn’t come in here for that,” Berrynose mewed as the medicine cat turned his back to him. Jayfeather could hear the disappointed frown in his voice. 

“I don’t want to see anyone who isn’t sick,” Jayfeather growled. “What if you were in the way of cats who were about to die?”

Berrynose seemed to pick up on Jayfeather’s exaggeration and he scoffed. The medicine cat was really just looking for any reason to not be bothered. “ThunderClan is fine, we’ve got nothing going on,” Berrynose protested, the length-less tail on his behind lashing with slight irritability that came off of him in waves.

“Okay, fine. What do you want?”

“I was just...” Berrynose started but cut off, shuffling his paws awkwardly. He scraped along the smooth, sandy ground with his claws, stalling. Gathering the words to finish, he spoke, “I was just wondering if you needed, uh—help with anything? You know, gathering herbs, or...”

“No. Go away.”

Jayfeather could feel the warrior’s disappointment and it was almost nauseating, but he knew it wouldn’t stop there. The light colored tom was much too stubborn.

“Really? Nothing? You’re by yourself, I know you must need at least something done!”

Jayfeather’s fur rose along his spine, irritation sparking along his nerves. “Do you not have anything useful to do? Like _hunt_ , maybe?”

Berrynose’s ears perked up. “Why? Do you want some freshkill?”

Jayfeather hissed. “No, mousebrain! For the _Clan_!” 

The tom sat back in silence for a moment. “Oh,” Berrynose mewed and gave his chest a bashful lick, embarrassed with the mistake. “No, I was on a hunting patrol earlier. I don’t have anything to do until the dawn patrol tonight.”

“Well? Find something,” Jayfeather turned his back to him again, his fur still raised on end.

“I’m trying!”

Jayfeather knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with the cat. He thought about trying to shove the light yellow tom out of the den, but knew it would be useless, because it would be like trying to push a boulder. The gray tabby was too much smaller than him. 

Reluctantly, Jayfeather sighed. “Fine. If you can’t find any other way to be useful, then come with me. I need to check on my catmint plants.”

Berrynose lit up beside him as Jayfeather pushed past and left the den. The cream tom was quick to catch up, walking alongside him with their flanks brushing. Without much cats paying any attention to them, the two left through the hollow peacefully, pushing past the thorn barrier.

The walk to the old twoleg nest was mostly silent, and Jayfeather was glad for that. Berrynose could be a bit of a loudmouth when he wanted to be. Much to his luck, that did not last for very long.

“How did you think to plant your own catmint?” Berrynose asked him as he followed alongside the blind tom. “I’ve never heard of any cat doing that before. That’s so smart!”

“You weren’t in the Clan for very long before I was born,” Jayfeather snorted sarcastically. “You hadn’t seen any of the other medicine cats.”

“I didn’t mean it like—“ Berrynose began, but cut himself off with a shake of his head. “Anyways, it was just a compliment. You’re a good medicine cat.”

Jayfeather felt a blush heat up the skin underneath his short pelt. With a incomprehensible grumble of unwilling gratitude, the tom sped up his pace. Berrynose bounded up to join him again.

Before too long, they had made it to the abandoned nest. Jayfeather padded towards where his plants were and sniffed along the growth. He stuck a paw out and felt the stems, then stepped back with a hiss.

“Some of these have withered!” he grumbled, clawing at the dry soil. He scraped out the dried, dead stems from the dirt. “They hadn’t even bloomed yet. I guess they didn’t get watered good. Stupid...”

“Hey! Don’t say that.” Berrynose sniffed along the rest of the growing herbs. “These seem healthy enough. They should be blooming soon. You’ll have plenty for this leafbare.”

Jayfeather snorted. “What do you know?” he meowed rudely, though he knew the cream tom had a point. As long as the sickness stayed mild this upcoming season, if it came around at all, they should be safe. The blind tom sighed, “Can you find some moss and wet it in a stream somewhere? These need watered a little.”

“On it!” The cream warrior bounded away into the forest, leaves flicking up in the air as his haunches kicked the fallen leaves on the ground. Jayfeather sighed somewhat indignantly. He wished he could do this alone; he didn’t understand why Berrynose insisted on bothering him.

Before he had very much time to think to himself, Berrynose had returned with a ball of soaked moss in his mouth. He held it over the plants and squeezed with his teeth. Jayfeather could hear the water pour from it in large quantities.

“Not so much!” the blind tom snapped, making Berrynose drop the ball in surprise. The cream tom’s ears flicked as he stepped back, watching Jayfeather pick the ball up. He squeezed some of the water out, then squeezed the remaining bit of it over the plants. “There. We can’t drown them.”

“Sorry,” Berrynose huffed. Jayfeather was surprised, to say the least, to hear the word come out of the tom’s mouth. For once he had pushed his pride away, though for him, Jayfeather didn’t know why.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Jayfeather gave the freshly watered catmint plants a sniff. “These should bloom later in leaf-fall,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.

“We can come back and check on them near the end of the season,” Berrynose offered, quick to catch up to Jayfeather as the blind tom began to walk away.

Jayfeather scoffed. “What’s this about _we_? I can manage fine on my own, thank you.” His tail flicked. “I only let you come so you’d stop bothering me about it.”

The blind tom was surprised when he felt the waves of hurt suddenly spark from Berrynose’s cream pelt. 

_Why is he so upset? He never even liked me when we were apprentices._ With a low, confused growl, Jayfeather shook his head dismissively. He’d likely never understand him.

“I’m going to hunt, if you don’t mind,” Berrynose broke the silence. Jayfeather could no longer feel the hurt from him.

“Why should I care? Fine, but I’m not waiting around. I’ll be back in my den.”

“Wait!” Berrynose’s stumpy tail flicked insistently. “Just- Just come with me!”

“For what? Are you scared of the forest?” Jayfeather snapped. “You’re so bossy! You don’t need me around.”

“I’m just trying to be nice, okay?” Berrynose growled, catching the blind tom by surprise. The anger had come too suddenly. “For StarClan’s sake, I’m surprised you haven’t pushed the whole Clan away with how you act!”

Jayfeather’s ears flattened with surprise, his fur rising on end. Berrynose stood a few tail lengths ahead of him, angrily scraping at the soil beneath him with his claws. He hissed out, “It’s almost impossible to be nice to you. You make it so hard!” 

The blind tom was confused. Berrynose had something on his mind, but he wasn’t voicing it. Jayfeather tried to pry through his mind, but it was all guarded protectively with a stormy cloud brewing in his thoughts. 

What was all of this? Why did Berrynose care about trying to be nice to him? None of it made sense, and he wanted to figure it out.

“If you’re trying to make sure you’re on my good side because I’m a medicine cat,” Jayfeather began as he tried to dig up the reason, “then stop. It’s sickening. If you’re ever hurt I’m going to treat you accordingly, I’m not going to ignore it if that’s what you’re worried about. You don’t have to be nice to me to make sure you’re healed after a battle.”

“What? No!” Berrynose shook his head. “This isn’t about that. I-“ The cream tom stopped abruptly, frustration and nervousness prickling along his spine.

Jayfeather growled. Prompting these thoughts out of Berrynose was difficult. He tried a different approach, figuring letting the tom have what he wanted would help. He was too curious now to stop. “Fine, if you want to hunt, I’ll stick around if you’ll shut up. I don’t understand why you need me, though.”

Berrynose bounced on his feet slightly with a nod that Jayfeather couldn’t see. “Come on, I know the best spot.”

Reluctantly, Jayfeather allowed himself to be led deeper into the forest as the bigger tom guided him along. The medicine cat stopped when Berrynose did, his ears perking at the sound of a nose scenting the air.

“Be right back,” Berrynose murmured under his breath and vanished with a silent scuffle of the leaves underpaw. He was trailing a scent he had picked up.

Silence filled the forest around him and Jayfeather gave the surroundings his own sniff, trying to see if any herbs were in the area. He ran down a mental list of what was needed for his stock, but quickly became distracted when he picked up the scent of a nearby mouse.

He’d never hunted before, or at least, not successfully. Attempting was more like a fun game rather than trying to feed his Clan, though he usually did wind up frustrated when he failed. 

In a wobbly, inexperienced crouch, the medicine cat crept forward with his ears perked, his hearing and scent heightened due to his lack of vision. He stalked until he estimated he was at an appropriate distance, wiggled his haunches, and leapt. Just when he thought he’d made the kill, he misplaced his landing and his paws skidded along some fallen leaves, tripping him up. He heard a shrill squeal of alarm and a panicked shuffling of tiny paws as his prey made its escape.

“Wow, that was close!” a muffled voice sounded above where Jayfeather lay defeated on the floor. The blind tom picked up the scent of Berrynose, along with the scent of prey. His words became much more clear when he dropped what he was holding. “That was pretty good for, y’know, not being able to see and all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jayfeather growled with embarrassment, scrambling to his paws and shaking his pelt when he stood. He gave his chest a lick.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it rudely. I just meant that was pretty good, even if you didn’t catch it.” Jayfeather felt something touch his feet when Berrynose pawed it towards him. “Here. Mouse. Not the one you were stalking, though.”

Jayfeather gave the mouse a sniff, cursing inwardly when his stomach suddenly growled. He realized how he hadn’t eaten all day. Still embarrassed from his failed catch, he pushed the mouse away stubbornly. “Take  
it back to the Clan. Some other cat could use it more than me.”

“I was on a hunting patrol earlier, remember? ThunderClan is stocked. Come on, eat! We can share.”

Not wanting to hear Berrynose bother him anymore, he bent his head down. He could feel Berrynose’s expectant and happy eyes burning into his pelt as he took his first bite and chewed slowly. When he sat back up straight, he could hear satisfied purrs coming from Berrynose as he took a bite for himself.

Jayfeather ate until he felt full, and Berrynose finished off the mouse until there was nothing but scraps and bones. 

“That was the freshest mouse I’ve ever had,” Berrynose mewed contently, licking his paw and swiping it over his whiskers. “I don’t usually hunt for myself. I’m used to taking from the pile when it’s already been sitting out for a while.”

Jayfeather huffed. Without admitting it, he felt the same—he wasn’t used to _fresh_ freshkill either. Not in the middle stages of leaf-fall. 

“At least you can hunt,” he mumbled, still feeling upset over his failed attempt from earlier.

Berrynose blinked at him, his tongue running along his muzzle as he cleaned it of the remains from the mouse. “Maybe I can teach you,” he shrugged. “It’s not that hard.”

“Yeah, maybe not hard when you can see,” Jayfeather grumbled. He shook his head. “There’s no point.”

“Here—Pretend I’m a mouse,” Berrynose ignored his protests, backing further away from the blind tom. His heavy paws shuffled along the leaves of the forest.

Jayfeather snorted. “Any cat would think you sound more like a badger.” Uncharacteristically, there was a slight tease in his voice.

Again, Berrynose ignored his sarcastic remarks. “I’m a mouse, and you’ve just gotten a whiff of my scent. What do you do?”

Without a word, Jayfeather dropped into another unsteady crouch. He crept forward towards Berrynose’s scent before leaping, kicking leaves up behind him. He landed awkwardly on the ground when Berrynose moved out of the way. “Hey!”

“Even the stupidest prey will run when you’re making that much of a racket, mousebrain!” Berrynose scolded, though it was mostly a lighthearted tease.

Jayfeather growled in response, irritated.

“Plus, your crouch is uneven. You can’t have all your weight on one side.” Berrynose padded towards Jayfeather and nudged him to his feet. “Crouch for me.”

Despite Berrynose’s bossiness, Jayfeather did as told with a grumpy mumble.

“Shift your weight,” Berrynose instructed, gently nudging Jayfeather’s side with his nose.

The blind tom adjusted himself until his weight was equally distributed. He sightlessly looked to Berrynose for further instruction, his unwillingness slowly fading.

“Now that you’re even, take your weight off of your hind legs when you stalk. Your paws need to be as light as possible,” Berrynose meowed. “ _Especially_ when you jump. Don’t kick off with your hind paws! Push up with your fore paws; you’ll have more control there. Now, try stalking and jumping again.”

Jayfeather did as was told. This time, his stalk seemed slightly more stable—though it was not perfect, it was still good. He continuously practiced his position and stalking along the forest floor as Berrynose watched. He took the cream tom by surprise when he suddenly launched towards him, trying to land on his back. Instead, because of Berrynose’s much larger build, Jayfeather only slid off and landed on the ground after pouncing.

Berrynose shook out his pelt. “Not bad! I’m glad I’m not actually a mouse. I’d be so scared!” 

Jayfeather gathered himself up on his feet. Berrynose’s light tease made the blind tom feel strangely. When the warrior wasn’t being so bossy and stuck up, he wasn’t all that bad of a cat. Under different circumstances, maybe they could have even been good friends as apprentices.

He had only seen this kind of friendly, gentle attitude come from Berrynose once, he just couldn’t exactly place where.

“Maybe this will help you more,” Berrynose’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “This time, you be the mouse. It might help to feel how a pounce is done.”

Without a word, Jayfeather trailed off, crouched low to the ground with his ears perked to listen. Leaves shuffled off in the distance as Berrynose moved, until the sound silenced almost entirely and all he could hear was his own heartbeat rushing in his chest. Although this was only a game, something about the moment felt intense.

Lost in his own thoughts, he was torn out of his head when suddenly a large weight landed on his back, four legs pinning him to the ground by encasing him underneath the tom, strong cream legs trapping him on both sides of his body. Jayfeather felt teeth lightly graze the nape of his neck in a mock bite.

“And that’s how it’s done,” Berrynose meowed proudly, stepping away from the other tom. “Though, sometimes, it isn’t always easy. Prey might detect you before you get the chance, but there’s still a chance to chase it. Let’s do it again, but this time, try moving more like a startled mouse.”

With a silent nod, Jayfeather crouched low again, his ears perked to listen more closely than before. The second he heard Berrynose’s feet leave the ground, he scattered and broke into a run, kicking up leaves and dust. Behind him, the sound of the cream tom’s heavy paws landing felt like it shook the ground, and amidst their chase, Jayfeather suddenly felt a lot smaller than he actually was. A playful purr rumbled in his throat with laughter as the thrill of their game made his blood rush through his heart. He could hardly believe he was even enjoying himself.

The moment ended too soon when, somewhere along the line, one of them made an unpredictable step and Berrynose accidentally crashed into Jayfeather after he caught up, sending the smaller tom sprawling to the ground and colliding with a fallen tree. His back hit the log ungracefully. 

“Jayfeather!” Berrynose shouted, racing over to where the thin tom was lying on the ground. “Jayfeather! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know- I didn’t expect you to turn like that. Are you okay?”

Jayfeather didn’t respond, aware of what Berrynose was saying but his body felt stunned with the ache from the impact.

“Oh, StarClan, please be okay,” Berrynose fretted aloud before turning back to the other tom. “Here—I’m going to carry you, okay? I’ll take you back to the camp. Stay with me, please!”

Jayfeather felt himself be moved by the larger tom until he was propped up on the log and then moved again when he felt Berrynose crawl underneath him and lift him up on his back. Berrynose carefully carried him on his back to the camp, occasionally muttering words to him along the way, but he could barely pick them out. 

_What’s wrong with him?_ Jayfeather’s thoughts raced. His body felt numb, but he was alive, wasn’t he? _I’m not dead. Why does he care so much?_

_This isn’t like him. Why is he acting like this?_

Suddenly the realization hit him on why this side of Berrynose had seemed so familiar early on. _Honeyfern...Only she had ever seen him act like this._

He groaned with pain when Berrynose had to push through the entrance to the camp with him on his back. Hurriedly, he rushed into the medicine den and gently laid him down on a fresh nest. “I’ll be right back. Stay with me, please,” Berrynose mumbled and touched his cheek with his nose before leaving the den.

In the silence of the den, his ears were ringing painfully. It did not last for long before he could sense two presences approaching him as they entered the den, breaking the silence with their noise.

“Jayfeather?” a soft voice murmured, belonging to his birth mother, Leafpool. The she-cat stopped at his side, looking down at him. She turned to Berrynose. “What happened?”

“We, uh- He took me out to his catmint plants to check on them, then we stopped and I caught us a mouse to share. I guess he got upset he couldn’t hunt, so I tried to teach him. First, I pretended-“

“Spare the details, Berrynose,” Leafpool interrupted his rambling gently, but her tail lashed. 

“Sorry,” Berrynose mumbled, shuffling on his paws. “I accidentally ran into him and shoved him into a tree, and he hit a log. He hasn’t moved since! I carried him here.”

Leafpool nodded, bending down to sniff along the small tom’s flank. “You said he hit a log?” she prompted. “Where at?”

“Uh- His back.”

Leafpool nodded, taking her paw and carefully pressing along the base of his spine. She pressed down on various places, earning a few winces from the tom.

“Nothing is broken,” she concluded, relief escaping her tone. “He’s just stunned. He’ll be okay, just sore and achy for a day or two.”

Berrynose swallowed and nodded. “Does he need anything? For shock, or—“

“He’s not in shock,” Leafpool shook her head.

“But-“

“Trust me, I was a medicine cat,” she gently reminded him. It was easy to forget nowadays. “Poppy seeds will be good for now to ease his pain and help him rest. He may need something more later on if the pain gets worse, but this will do for now.”

Jayfeather listened as Leafpool rummaged through his stock then laid out an appropriate amount of poppy seeds by his head.

“Dear, I need you to eat these, okay? You’re going to be fine. I know it hurts, you just need to rest,” Leafpool murmured by his ear, giving his head an encouraging lick. Without much of a protest other than a pained grunt, he lifted his head and lapped up the seeds. Leafpool sighed comfortingly, “Good, good. Rest now.”

After one more lick to his head, Leafpool sat up and padded over to Berrynose. “I want you to watch over him. I’ll talk to Brambleclaw about relieving you from your duties for a day or two. Come to me if he gets worse, but he should be fine.”

Jayfeather thought she was overreacting, but he felt too sore to complain that he wasn’t a kit anymore despite how she was treating him. For StarClan’s sake, he was a medicine cat! He could look after himself! Despite the protests in his thoughts, when he tried to sit up slightly, his sore joints screamed at him to take it easy.

“What about his medicine cat duties?” Berrynose asked her, and Jayfeather could feel the cream tom’s eyes burning into his pelt.

“He can still do them, but if he’s hurt, he shouldn’t move much. He can tell you what needs to be done—that’s your job for now. I don’t want him to accidentally sprain something while trying to move too much.” Leafpool shook her head, as if she knew too well how high the possibility was because of how stubborn the tom is. “Take care of my kit, okay? Just tell me if you need anything.”

Without another word, Leafpool stepped out, and Berrynose approached Jayfeather. “I’m sorry about earlier,” he meowed genuinely. “I should have been more careful. It’d only be right for me to watch over you now.” The cream tom settled behind the medicine cat, his much larger body pressing against the smaller tom.

Jayfeather still felt a little dazed; both from the pain, and the vague realization on why Berrynose was treating him like this. The closeness between the two cats at the moment only furthered his thoughts.

Honeyfern used to be his one and only, up until she died in a tragic accident. It’d costed the she-cat her own life, but had given Briarlight another chance while she was still a kit. Berrynose had respected her for her bravery, and knew he had to move on, no matter how much it hurt.

And now, his next move was...

 _Me?_ Jayfeather’s head whirled. _But I’m a medicine cat! I can’t!_

_Why is this affecting me so much? I don’t even like him! He’s stupid, bossy, annoying, and...!_

“Jayfeather?” Berrynose’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Hey, are you okay?” 

Jayfeather met Berrynose’s eyes when he craned his neck to direct his blind gaze behind him. Though he could not see them, he knew exactly what they looked like from his dreams. A light, soft, blue color that shined with white like the clouds in the sky, or light reflecting off a pool of water. Despite how icy the color of his irises are, they were always filled with warmth and Jayfeather could only picture that same soft, sky blue gentleness staring at him now.

Too carried away in his thoughts again, an embarrassed blush heated up his skin and made him burn.

“Jayfeather?” Berrynose meowed again, his voice more urgent. “You’re really warm—you’re running a fever! Let me go get Leafpool—“

“Slow down, mousebrain!” Jayfeather snapped suddenly, the mention of his mother breaking him from his trance. “I’m fine. It’s just stuffy in here.”

Berrynose’s whiskers twitched and he sniffled. “Okay,” he said plainly, shifting awkwardly in the nest. He didn’t sound entirely convinced, but even he didn’t want to argue with Jayfeather. Nobody ever wins against him. “I hope you don’t mind I lay here. I just have to, you know, keep a close eye on you. Just in case.”

Jayfeather shrugged, “Whatever.” He didn’t want to admit it, but the company was nice. Ever since Briarlight had moved back to the warriors’ den, it had gotten lonely for him. For that reason, afraid he’d somehow make Berrynose move, he didn’t say anything more.

 _Get out of your own head,_ Jayfeather growled in his thoughts, lost in his own mind again amidst the silence of the den. _What are you thinking? Why are you getting so comfortable? You can’t like him! You can’t break the Code for a stupid furball like him! You’ve never liked him before!_

_But then... Why do I feel so...different all of a sudden? About him?_

Jayfeather hyper-focused his senses until he had matched the rhythm of Berrynose’s breathing. He felt the warmth coming off of the cream tom in waves that only heated Jayfeather’s own pelt even more. It felt hot and stuffy in the den already, but the heat that radiated off the larger tom was comforting.

Jayfeather couldn’t control the soft purr that began to rumble in his throat. When he realized it, it was too late to stop, and stopping would only bring further unwanted attention to it. His body stiffened and he felt a slight short circuit when Berrynose suddenly leaned over and licked his cheek, purring as well.

Neither of them spoke, but it seemed like both of them knew what was happening. Jayfeather forced himself not to think about it too closely. Exhausted, he fell into a light daze until he eventually fell asleep in the comfort of Berrynose’s long fur that felt like it was hugging him in a warm embrace.

——

Jayfeather awoke back in the den, and it wasn’t until he opened his eyes that he realized he was dreaming. He stood up in his nest, his pain nonexistent in the dream world. He stretched lightly before padding out of the den to explore what was happening this time. He silently hoped it didn’t have any involvement of StarClan. In all honesty, he wanted a break from the tensity and vagueness that was happening in the stars above them.

Much to his surprise, Jayfeather’s eyes caught sight of Berrynose ahead of him, in the clearing. He must have accidentally entered the cream tom’s dreams. He could see another cat in front of him, but couldn’t make out who it was until he approached closer.

 _Honeyfern._ Jayfeather stared closely at the she-cat as he approached. Berrynose had his head dipped low as he muttered to her, but he fell silent when his head rose and met Jayfeather’s blue eyes. 

The medicine cat padded forward to apologize to Honeyfern. It’d be the first time he’d seen her since her tragic death. However, when he approached, he noticed how his tail passed right through her body and the image of her flickered with static. She never even acknowledged him, as if he didn’t exist.

 _Huh?_ Jayfeather’s head tilted, and he waved his tail in front of her. Still, no reaction.

_I thought she was visiting Berrynose from StarClan. I guess not. I guess this is just a regular dream he’s having of her._

“I miss her sometimes,” Berrynose’s voice broke the silence suddenly. Jayfeather watched as the image of Honeyfern began to fade. “I never got a lot of time with her. I just wish I had more.”

Jayfeather blinked. He wasn’t sure what to say.

The medicine cat’s lack of response didn’t faze Berrynose. “She doesn’t visit me. I wish she would, but...”

Jayfeather’s head tilted, surprised by Berrynose’s lucidity. He had realized this was only a regular dream too.

“You’re still young,” the medicine cat tried when the silence became too awkward. “There’s more... _she-cats_ out there.” He chose his words carefully, but he knew there was a topic they were painfully avoiding.

“Yeah. I guess so.” Berrynose gave Jayfeather a curious stare. “Can all medicine cats enter other dreams like StarClan cats?”

Jayfeather was taken back by the question. “...No, but-“

“I’m probably just dreaming about you, too, since you were right next to me when I slept,” Berrynose sighed, hardly noticing how _real_ Jayfeather was at the moment. “I have so many things I wish I could tell the real you, but I’m scared to.”

Jayfeather stayed silent in fear that he could accidentally give himself away. Maybe he could prompt something out of the other tom. In real time, Berrynose’s thoughts were always so strangely protected and guarded. This was his only chance!

“Dreams feel so lonely,” Berrynose mumbled. “I used to dream about a life with Honeyfern, what our kits would look like...I hardly even see it anymore.” He stared straight at Jayfeather. “Now I’m dreaming about you. Something’s changing, but...I’m scared to tell you. I’m scared to even accept it myself.”

Jayfeather blinked. _No, you’re not dreaming about me. I didn’t mean to be here...And you don’t even know._

“It...It could never happen. It would never be allowed!” Berrynose seemed to be talking more to himself now than to what he thought was his dream version of Jayfeather. He mumbled something that the other tom didn’t quite catch.

 _Just say it!_ Jayfeather’s mind whirled and his body felt hot. He tried not to visibly show any frustration. 

Before he knew it, Berrynose’s dream appearance had begun to fade. _No!_ He raced to where the cream tom once stood and stared at the sky as a voice called down from the stars. He blinked once and when he opened his eyes, he couldn’t see anymore. He was blind once again.

“Jayfeather,” the same soft voice from his dream sounded close to his ear.

“Leafpool?” Berrynose let out a yawn before Jayfeather got the chance to respond. The blind tom opened his mouth wide in a yawn as well, a sleepy squeak sounding from his mouth.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, Berrynose,” Leafpool murmured. “I was only checking on Jayfeather. How has he been? Restless?”

“He’s been fine, actually,” Berrynose shrugged. “He fell asleep not long after you left. No complaints, nothing.”

“Poppy seeds will do that to you,” Leafpool purred amusedly. “That must be the first time I’ve ever heard him be so peaceful. I see you’ve been keeping him warm.”

Jayfeather sensed a blush spread through Berrynose’s skin. 

Berrynose cleared his throat. “Yeah, he got cold, so...” he lied easily, shrugging his shoulders with a slight, tense awkwardness. 

“I’m surprised he didn’t have you by the rest of your tail for that,” Leafpool joked, earning a response out of Berrynose that came in the form of a bashful lick to his own chest.

“I’m awake, you know,” Jayfeather mumbled, breaking up the conversation that had taken place as if he wasn’t even there.

“How are you feeling?” Leafpool licked his cheek, the previous subject now forgotten.

He grunted. “Fine. Just sore.” Leafpool bent down to lick his head. “Stop...” He was too sleepy to protest very much.

When Leafpool didn’t stop, he shifted slightly to avoid her tongue. “You were a medicine cat, you should know being shoved into a tree is one of the least worrying injuries out there. I’m fine without you fussing over me!” He didn’t want to admit the feeling of her tongue rasping against his fur as she groomed him was comforting and making him sleepy again. He felt too much pride for that.

“You’re still my kit above everything else,” Leafpool reminded him softly. “I’m allowed to worry about you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about to begin with.”

“So stubborn as always,” Leafpool murmured affectionately. Much to Jayfeather’s satisfaction, she pulled back and finished grooming him, but not before giving his cheek one last lick. “Do you need anything while I’m here?”

“For you to leave me alone and let me sleep...” he mumbled. He wanted to return back to Berrynose’s dream world, but likely, it would be hard to get the cream tom back to sleep.

Leafpool sighed fondly, flicking his ear with her tail as she walked past. “Brambleclaw’s assigning some patrols right now,” she informed them, though her words were mostly directed towards Berrynose. “I’ve told Brambleclaw of the situation. You’re relieved from major duties for now but he wants you to walk Jayfeather around a few times throughout the day to make sure he doesn’t get stiff.”

“Okay,” Berrynose meowed simply. “He won’t get hurt?”

“I would have shut his idea down if it was a possibility,” Leafpool assured him gently. “But Brambleclaw is right. Laying in a nest all day with a sore back, without any exercise it’s likely to get stiff.”

Jayfeather’s tail lashed. He was a full medicine cat, he knew these things! Hearing them talk about him like he was a kit was frustrating, but he could only manage a growl instead of arguing.

“Jayfeather, I’ve asked Brambleclaw to get one of his patrols to collect some poppy seeds on their way back,” Leafpool told him. “I noticed you were running low.”

“Thanks,” Jayfeather mumbled, feeling stupid. He hadn’t even noticed. Before he could ask why she couldn’t just do it, Leafpool had already exited.

“Do you want something to eat?” Berrynose asked him, breaking the sudden silence.

Jayfeather was hungry, but he cared more about sleep than anything. He wanted to get Berrynose to sleep too so that they could dream again. “No, thanks. I’m just tired.”

Berrynose’s whiskers twitched. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I guess I am too.”

 _Because of your dream!_ Jayfeather blinked, his ears perked alertedly. “Why is that?”

Berrynose shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not used to sleeping in this den. It’s so empty...”

Jayfeather suppressed a growl. “You get used to it,” he mumbled instead.

“You should sleep more if you’re so tired. You’re a little grumpy this morning,” Berrynose joked lightly, though his tease did not land easily. It was hard to joke around with such a hotheaded cat.

Jayfeather only mumbled something under his breath, laying his head down on his paws. If he couldn’t pry anything out of Berrynose today, he would at some point. Unwillingly, he felt himself begin to drift off, and the feeling of Berrynose’s chin resting on the nape of his neck was what truly allowed him to settle and go back to sleep into another peaceful dream.


End file.
